The concept of producing furniture which is easily assembled by the purchaser has become increasingly popular. Such knockdown furniture provides a manufacturer with the opportunity to make high quality furniture available to customers at a lower cost, increases the ease with which furniture may be shipped, and also provides an opportunity for consumers to engage in a handicraft project to some extent. In addition, such knockdown furniture that may be both assembled and disassembled easily is much more adaptable than other types of furniture to the mobile lifestyle typical in society today. Although knockdown furniture is generally known, few pieces of such furniture are designed for both easy assembly and disassembly.
In constructing knockdown furniture, it is desirable that the piece of furniture be assembled from a plurality of relatively planar parts. For instance, a knockdown bureau may consist of a top, bottom, sides and back. The bureau drawers may include four sides and a bottom. All of these parts may be packaged in a flat, small container as compared to a container designed to hold the constructed bureau.
It is also desirable that the respective parts of knockdown furniture be designed for assembly and disassembly using standard household tools. Therefore, knockdown furniture packages often include fasteners, such as screws or bolts, to secure together the respective parts of the knockdown furniture. While these fasteners are necessary to allow the furniture to be assembled by the consumer, such fastening means would not normally be used if the furniture were constructed at a factory and shipped fully assembled.